1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a starting control apparatus and method for carrying out starting control of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A starting control apparatus has been put to practical use that is for starting an engine remotely or at a predetermined time by means of a timer for the purpose of warming up and air conditioning of the vehicle in advance under the circumstance that a driver is outside the vehicle. Such a starting control apparatus operates a starter motor similarly to a case where a manual engine starting operation by means of a key is performed when the starting control apparatus receives an engine starting request signal sent from a remote control terminal (a remote key) carried by a driver, for example. This causes the engine control apparatus to execute spray of fuel.
The starting control apparatus is additionally mounted in some cases after a vehicle is sold. In the case of additionally mounting the starting control apparatus to a vehicle to which a so-called immobilizer device is mounted, the immobilizer device being for controlling permission of starting of an engine in accordance with verification of a specific identification code (referred to as a “code for certification”, hereinafter) for releasing prohibition of starting of the engine only when certification of a key is succeeded, it is required to register in the starting control apparatus a code for certification for releasing prohibition of starting of the engine by means of an immobilizer device, send a code for certification to the immobilizer device before starting control is carries out, and then, release prohibition of starting.
A technology relating to such a starting control apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2004-36505 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2004-132273, for example. JP-A 2004-36505 discloses an engine starting system with an immobilizer adapter for feeding codes to an ECU in place of an immobilizer, allowing easy initial registration and update registration of the codes. JP-A 2004-132273 discloses an engine control apparatus with an immobilizer system, which compares and collates a transmitted identification code with a preliminarily registered identification code when the engine key is inserted in a key cylinder.
As a method of starting an engine, adopted has been a turning method in which a key is inserted into a key cylinder and turned. Further, a so-called push start method in which a button operation is carried out to start an engine without using any key has been begun to be adopted as the method of starting an engine.
In the case where the starting control apparatus is additionally mounted to a vehicle, contents of control, which relate to starting of an engine, such as a method of starting an engine and a method of sending a code for certification to an immobilizer device are different in some cases in accordance with a structure of the vehicle. As for the structure of a vehicle, there are four structures A, B, C and D in accordance with whether the a method of starting an engine is the push start method or the turning method and presence or absence of an immobilizer device, as shown in Table 1. In the structure A, the push start method is adopted and an immobilizer device is provided. In the structure B, the turning method is adopted and an immobilizer device is provided. In the structure C, the push start method is adopted and no immobilizer device is provided. In the structure D, the turning method is adopted and no immobilizer device is provided. The immobilizer device used in the push start method like the structure A is occasionally referred to as a “push start type immobilizer device”, hereinafter. Further, the immobilizer device used in the turning method like the structure B is occasionally referred to as a “turning type immobilizer device”, hereinafter.
TABLE 1PRESENCE OR ABSENCEOF IMMOBILIZERSTARTING METHODPRESENCEABSENCEPUSH START METHODACTURNING METHODBD
In the case of mounting a starting control apparatus deferent for every structure of a vehicle, as described above, caused is a problem that a cost in manufacturing the starting control apparatus increases.
In order to solve the problem, in the case of mounting the starting control apparatus corresponding to all of the structures A to D of a vehicle, which are shown in Table 1, an operator who performs an operation of mounting the starting control apparatus onto the vehicle in a factory or the like should confirm whether the immobilizer device is provided to the vehicle or not and a type of the immobilizer device provided in the vehicle, a structure of the vehicle such as the push start type immobilizer device and the turning type immobilizer device, for example, in mounting the starting control apparatus, referring to a specification of the vehicle and the like. Moreover, the operator has to carry out a predetermined specific operation after such a confirmation operation described above in mounting the starting control apparatus onto the vehicle, and make the settings relating to starting of the engine such as registration of the code for certification of the immobilizer device for the starting control apparatus in the mounting operation.
In the case where the vehicle comprises the turning type immobilizer device like the structure B, for example, the operator should make the settings so that the starting control apparatus would start when a permission signal for permitting starting of the engine is received from the immobilizer device. The operation of confirming the structure of the vehicle with reference to a specification of the vehicle and the like, however, is complicated and troublesome. Accordingly, some operators recognize a wrong structure of the vehicle by mistake, in some cases.
When the operator recognizes by mistake that the vehicle is of the structure D with no immobilizer device although the vehicle is actually of the structure B, the setting results in disregard of the permission signal from the immobilizer device. This causes the starting control apparatus to operate a starter motor of the engine with the permission signal being ignored regardless of presence or absence of the permission signal from the immobilizer device when an instruction of starting the engine is received. Accordingly, there is a problem that the starter motor undesirably operates even when the permission signal is not received from the immobilizer device and this imposes a burden on the vehicle.